Casket placer



July 26, 1932. H. J. HAmsER ET AL 1368 796 CASKET PLACER Filed Aug. 10, 1951 1/ 3; my av (22 5 7 2, n g

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Patented July 26, 1932 UNITED STATES P TENT- OFFICE HENRY J. HARDER, OF BEAVER DAM, AFTD, HERBERT KOTENBERG, OF WAUPUN, WISCONSIN cAsxET- PLACER Application filed August 10, 1931. Serial Nor.556,1 36.

Our invention relates to improvements in casket placers.

The object of our invention is to facilitate the delivery of a casket into position to be lowered into a grave, whereby the pall bearers will not be required to undertake the risk of carrying the casket while walking alon the sides of an open grave.

More particularly stated, it is our objectto provide a turn-table support which maybe detaohably connected with the shafts of side rods of a casket lowering mechanism, and

whereby a turn-table provided with antifriction rollers may be so adjusted that one end of the casket may be placed thereon and the casket rolled into position and then turned to its proper position above the straps of the lowering mechanism, after which the turn-table and associated parts of the attachment may be lowered to deposit the casket upon such straps, the attachment then being disengaged from said shafts or side rods preparatory to lowering the casket into the grave.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan view of our attachment as it appears when connected with a casket lowering mechanism of standard type preparatory to receiving a casket.

Figure 2 is a sectional view drawn to line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional View drawn to line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing the attachment in a depressed position preparatory to its removal from the casket lowering mechanism.

Figure 5 is a detailed view of the adjustable hangers and associated parts.

Figure 6 is a detail view of a pair of feed nuts showing fragments of the associated lifting levers for raising and lowering the turntable platform.

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughout the several views.

The turn-table 10 is connected by a central pivot bolt 11 with a supporting platform 12 which is preferably circular in form and to supporting bars 13, connected by suitable hangers 14 with the rotatable shafts A of a casket lowering mechanism'of ordinary type. In order that the platform 12 may be vertically adjusted, we connect it by sets of links 17, 18, 19, and 20 with feed nuts 21 and 22 adapted to be actuated in opposite directions by right and left screws 24. The links 17 and 18 have their lower en connected with the feed nut 21, and the links 19 and 20 have their lower ends connected with the feed nut 22. It will be observed that the links 17 and 19 have their upper ends connected by apivot bolt 25 with suitable depending lugs or cars 26 carried on the under side of the platform 12, and thelinks 18 and 20 are similarly connected with the platform by pivot bolts 25' and lugs or ears 26, whereby, when the feed nuts move toward each other, each pair of links (17 and 19, and 18 and 20, respectively) will have their lower ends move towardeach other to swing the links toward the raised position in which they are illustrated in Figure 2, thereby raising the platform 12 above the level of the winding shafts A of the lowering mechamsm. 1 When the feed nuts are moved in the opposite direction, tending to separate them from each other, the pairs of links will swingv downwardly toward a horizontal position as indicated in Figure 4. There are two sets of these paired links connected with feed nuts mounted on parallel right and left screw shafts 24, as shown in Figure 2, and these screw. shafts may be simultaneously actuated in the same direction by a cross shaft 30 and beveled gears or pinions 31 and 32, the gears 31 being located on the cross shaft and'the gears 32 on the respective right and left screw shafts 24. The cross shaft is mounted in'suit-, able bearing blocks 34 carried on the ends 0 the supporting bars 13. c

The hangers 14 have hook shaped upper end portions 86, and the lower end portions are elbowed and provided with inwardly extending arms 37 "having longitudinal slots 38, preferably openended, whereby these in wardly extending arms 37 of the hangers may I adapted to be raised or lowered with reference be adjustably connected with the supporting bars 13 by suitable bolts 10 and thumb nuts 11. By loosening these thumb nuts 41, the hangers may be adjusted to vary the distance between them in accordance with the width of the grave and the corresponding spacing of the winding shafts A-A of the casket lowering mechanism.

The feed nuts 21 and 22 of each pair are preferably formed with overlapping extensions 42 and i3 as best shown in Figure 6. These extensions'are half the width of the apertured and threaded portions of the feed nuts, whereby they may be moved upon each other as the feed nuts approach for the purpose of raising the links to their Figure 2 position. This facilitates connecting one link of each pair with one of the nuts and the other link with the other nut.

It will alsobe observed, in Figures 3 and 6, that the links pivoted to the inner sides of the feed nuts (one feed nut of each pair) are provided with bracing arms which extend obliquely, upwardly, and inwardly and are each connected by a pivot pin 51 with a lug 52 depending from the under side of the platform 12, as best shown in Figure 3. The pivot pins 51 are of course in line with the corresponding pivot pins 25 and 25, whereby all of the pivotal connections of the platform .12 on either side of its central axis will be in line in each other.

The cross shaft 30 has a squared end adapted to receive a suitable crank 54:, as shown in Figure 1, whereby the feed nuts may be adjusted as above explained. The winding shafts are similarly actuated to wind up and unwind the lowering straps B, but the mechanism is notillustrated inasmuch as these parts relate to ordinary casket lowering mechanism,the construction of which is well understood.

In operation, the hanger hooks 14 will be adiustably connected at the proper points with the supporting bars 13. and their hooked ends will be engaged with the winding shafts A of the lowering mechanism. Thereupon the shaft 30 may be actuated by means of the crank 54: to move the feed nuts toward each other upon each shaft 24 until the links assume the raised position in which they are illustrated in Figures 2 and 3,'the platform 12 then being above the level of the winding shafts A and their casket lowering straps B. Thereupon the turn-table 10 will be rotated to present one end thereof at the point most favorable for the reception of one end of the casket brought to the grave by the pall bearers.

Each end of this turn-table 10 is provided with a casket receiving roller 58 or equivalent anti-friction devices, whereby, when one end of the casket is placed thereon, the casket may be pushed longitudinally of the turntable until it rests upon both of'the rollers 58 in a substantially balanced position, with the center of gravity approximately over the turn-table pivot 11. Thereupon the turntable will be rotated until the casket is in a proper position above the grave, whereupon the shaft 30 may be rotated in the proper direction to separate the pairs of feed nuts and allow the links to move downwardly to their position as illustrated in Figure In this position both the platform 12 and the turn-table 10 will be below the level of the lowering straps B upon which the casket will have been deposited. The entire attachment may then be readily removed by unhooking it from the winding shafts A. If the hangers 1-1 are too short to allow the attachment to be re moved by simply lifting it at one side to disengage the hooks from the winding shaft on that side, then the hooks on one side may be disengaged by removing the clamping nuts 11 to release such hooks and the attachment drawn out at the opposite side from beneath the other winding shaft.

To provide means whereby a comparatively narrow turn table may be adapted to receive and properly guide caskets of differing widths, we preferably provide the turn-table with suitable slides 62 having upwardly projecting guides 68, the inner surfaces of which may be inclined downwardly and inwardly.

By providing the slides 62 with slots 6-4.- throngh which clamping bolts 65 may pass to connect the slides with the turn-table, it is obvious that by loosening the nuts on the clamping bolts the slides may .be moved outwardly or inwardly to correspond with the width of the casket in accordance with the requirements for any gi en interment. The guides 63 may therefore be relied upon to prevent the casket from shifting laterally and to hold it properly centered along the longitudinal axis of the turn-table.

It will, of course, be understood that the it justment of the slides 62 and also any neces sary lateral adjustments of the hangers 1 1- will be made, and the positions of these parts predetermined, at the time the attachment is being placed in position on the winding shafts of the casket lowering mechanism. Therefore, the apparatus is adaptable for use in the burial of children as well as adults, and in fact for the placing of caskets of any size upon the casket lowering straps. The pall bearers need approach the grave only to the extent necessary for depositing the advancing-end of the casket upon one of the turntable rollers 58. It will, of course, be understood that the t-urn-table may be provided with a roller only at its receiving end, al though it will preferably have a roller at each as shown.

\Ve claim:

1. A. device to facilitate delivery of a casket into position for interment, comprising the combination with a support adapted to be positioned above an open grave, of a vertically adjustable turntable mounting carried by said support, means for raising and lowering said mounting, and a casket receiving turntable on the mounting.

2. A device to facilitate delivery of a casket into position for interment, comprising the combination with a support adapted to be positioned above an open grave, of a vertically adjustable turntable mounting carried by said support, means for raising and lowering said mounting, and a casket receiving turntable on the mounting, provided with anti-friction members over which the casket may be moved from an initial receiving position to a final casket supporting position.

3. A device to facilitate delivery of a casket into position for interment, comprising the combination with a support adapted to be positioned above an open grave, of a vertically adjustable turntable mounting carried by said support, means for raising and lowering said mounting, a casket receiving turntable on the mounting, and a set of hangers adjustably connected with said support and provided with means for engaging casket lowering mechanism.

4. The combination with casket lowering mechanism, of a casket receiving attachment adapted to be removably engageable with said casket lowering mechanism, and provided with a vertically adjustable casket receiving member adapted to be moved from a casket supporting position above the lowering mechanism to a casket releasing position below the casket supporting portions of said mechanism, said attachment being removable from beneath the casket after delivery of the same to said lowering mechanism.

5. The combination with casket lowering mechanism having a set of winding shafts and casket lowering straps, of a set of hangers engageable with said winding shafts, bars supported by said hangers, feed nuts and actuating shafts carried by said bars, a turntable and linkage operatively connecting the turntable with the feed nuts for vertical adj ustment of the turntable, said linkage being adapted to hold the turntable above the straps of the lowering mechanism in one position of feed nut adjustment and below such straps in another position of feed nut adjustment. 7

6. The combination with casket lowering mechanism having a set of winding shafts and casket lowering straps, of a set of hangers engageable with said winding shafts, bars supported by said hangers, feed nuts and actuating shafts carried by said bars, a turntable and linkage operatively connecting the turntable with the feed nuts for vertical adjustment of the turntable, said linkage being adapted to hold the turntable above the straps of the lowering mechanism in one position of feed nut adjustment and below such straps in another position of feed nut adjustment, and crank operated mechanism for adjusting-the feed nuts.

7 An attachment for casket lowering devices comprising a turntable, supporting bars therefor, means forvarying the distance between the turntable and the supporting bars, and adjustable means for connecting the supporting bars with casket lowering mecha-- nisms of different widths.

8. In an attachment for casket lowering mechanism, a casket receiving turntable provided. along its side margins with laterally adjustable casket guides.

9. In an attachment for casket lowering mechanism, a casket receiving turntable provided along its side margins with laterally adjustable casket guides, and also provided at one end with a casket supporting roller over which the casket may be moved to a position of support upon the turntable from any point of approach toward which such end of the turntable may be adjusted.

10. In an attachment for casket lowering mechanism, the combination of a turntable, and vertically and laterally adjustable turntable supporting devices adapted to facilitate the transfer of a casket from a position above the casket lowering mechanism to a position thereon preparatory to a lowering operation.

11. The combination with a set of supports engageable with the winding shafts of a casket lowering mechanism, of a turntable, and screw actuated mechanism interposed between said supports and turntable for raising the turntable to a casket receiving position and lowering it to a position for delivery of the casket to the lowering mechanism, said attachment being removable from the lowering mechanism after such delivery.

12. In a casket lowering mechanism, the combination with supporting bars provided with adjustable hangers at their respective ends, and a turntable supported from said bars and adjustable at right angles to the lines along which the hangers are adjustable.

13. The combination with casket lowering mechanism, of an attachment adapted to be temporarily connected therewith and provided with a casket receiving member adapt ed to be adjusted to receive a casket advancing toward the grave from one side and be tween the ends of the grave, said member being also adjustable with reference to the casket lowering mechanism to convey the casket into proper position above the grave preparatory to its being lowered therein and manually controlled means for gradually lowering said member with reference to the other portions of the attachment and with reference to said casket lowering mechanism to deliver the casket to the lowering mechanism.

14. The combination with a support adapti ed to be positioned above a grave, of a casket receiving member, horizontally adjustable for reception of a casket from points of delivery between the ends of the grave, and also adplstable to move a recelved casket in a substantially horizontal plane to a lowering po sition, manually controllable mechanical means for gradually lowering said casket to auxiliary supports said receiving member being manually removable from beneath the .casket otherwise supported in lowering position.

HENRY J. HARDER. HERBERT R. KOTENBERG. 

